Off the Cob Tortilla Chips Shark Tank Update – Shark Tank Season 6
Off the Cob Tortilla Chips appeared on Shark Tank Season 6 with their product, fresh sweet corn chips. Unfortunately, they walked away without a deal!
Cameron Sheldrake introduced the Sharks to Off the Cob Tortilla Chips, his snack business that featured natural corn tortilla chips, in Shark Tank Season 6 Episode 10. He brought a snack company that made tortilla chips from sweet corn instead of traditional grain corn.
Cameron was another entrepreneur whose business had found success on Kickstarter before appearing on the show, and his project successfully raised a little over $15,000 to ship the first pallets of Off the Cob Chips to 28 Boston-area Whole Foods markets back in October 2012.
Cameron entered the Tank seeking an investment to help expand distribution and grow his business nationwide. Will a Shark take a bite out of Off the Cob?
About Off the Cob Tortilla Chips
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Business Name | Off the Cob Tortilla Chips |
| Founder | Cameron Sheldrake |
| Industry | Food & Beverage |
| Product | Tortilla chips made from sweet corn |
| Deal Status | No Deal |
| Deal Outcome | No investment secured |
| Investment Asked | $100,000 for 15% equity |
| Valuation | $666,667 |
Cameron grew up on a family farm in Ithaca, NY, where he developed his passion for and knowledge of organic foods. The 2012 Babson College graduate had always dreamed of becoming an entrepreneur.
While working on the family farm, Cameron noticed that large amounts of sweet corn were discarded every year. Wanting to reduce waste and create a unique food product, he developed Off the Cob Tortilla Chips.
Like many food entrepreneurs who appeared in the Tank, he sought funding to support inventory growth and expand distribution.
Off the Cob Chips had six ingredients. The chips were made using sweet corn alongside certified organic yellow and white corn varieties, as well as expeller-pressed sunflower oil, cane sugar, and sea salt.
The corn used in Off the Cob was grown on small farms throughout the American Midwest. Cameron’s recipe produced a lighter, sweeter flavor profile than many traditional tortilla chips.
Off the Cob Tortilla Chips Shark Tank Pitch
The segment opened with Cameron on the family farm, where he revealed that large quantities of sweet corn were discarded each year. He invented Off the Cob to reduce waste. Cameron entered the Tank seeking $100,000 for 15% equity.
He explained the difference between grain corn and sweet corn. Sweet corn is the type of corn most people eat when they cook corn on the cob. Cameron argued that Off the Cob chips tasted better than traditional tortilla chips.
He handed out samples, and Nick Woodman complimented Cameron on the name and the packaging.
During the discussion, Cameron revealed that Off the Cob products were already available in 45 retail locations.
Lori Greiner said she never knew there was a difference between grain and sweet corn. Cameron explained that sweet corn was significantly more expensive than traditional grain corn.
Mr. Wonderful balked at the price differential. Cameron said the company was expanding into 100 stores and had secured a partnership with a major snack-food distributor. He sold to distributors for $1.60; it cost 85 cents to make each bag.
What Makes Off the Cob Tortilla Chips Unique?
Off the Cob differentiated itself from traditional tortilla chips through several key features:
- Made using sweet corn instead of grain corn.
- Used ingredients sourced from small Midwestern farms.
- Created a lighter and sweeter flavor profile.
- Was developed as a way to reduce agricultural food waste.
- Made with certified organic GMO-free corn varieties.
Did Off the Cob Tortilla Chips Get a Deal on Shark Tank?
Although the Sharks enjoyed the taste of the chips, concerns about the business prevented a deal from happening.
Kevin O’Leary, Mark Cuban, and Daymond John decided not to invest because of the challenges involved in scaling the business and competing in the snack-food market.
Lori Greiner said she loved the chips but thought it would be difficult to grow the company efficiently.
Nick Woodman admitted that the marketer in him wanted to invest and that he was not concerned about the product’s premium pricing. However, he ultimately decided not to make an offer.
Before leaving, Nick encouraged Cameron to continue building the business and expressed confidence in his future success.
Cameron remained optimistic and stated that he would continue selling chips and growing the company.
Although the Sharks liked the product, concerns about margins, ingredient costs, and scaling a competitive snack brand prevented an investment.
RESULT: No Deal
Off the Cob Tortilla Chips Shark Tank Update
The Shark Tank Blog provided updates and follow-ups about entrepreneurs who had appeared on the Shark Tank TV show.
Following the episode’s airing, orders surged almost immediately. Cameron Sheldrake later revealed that company sales doubled within two weeks of the episode airing.
The spike in demand was so large that Off the Cob completely sold out of inventory and struggled to keep products in stock for nearly two months.
By 2017, Off the Cob Tortilla Chips could be found in more than 300 grocery stores across the United States, including major chains such as Whole Foods and Wegmans.
Despite its early momentum and growing distribution network, Off the Cob Tortilla Chips eventually ceased operations and was no longer in business. The company’s website was taken offline, retail distribution ended, and the products became unavailable online.
The company did not publicly disclose the reasons for its closure. Industry observers noted that higher ingredient and production costs may have presented challenges.
If independently verified, Cameron later returned to working on his family’s farm in Ithaca, New York after the company ceased operations.
Where Can You Buy It?
Off the Cob Tortilla Chips are no longer available for purchase because the company has ceased operations.
The company’s official website has been taken down, and the chips are no longer stocked by retailers such as Whole Foods and Wegmans. The products have also become unavailable through online marketplaces and direct-to-consumer sales channels.
Posts About Off the Cob Tortilla Chips on Shark Tank Blog
For more information about the product and its unique sweet-corn recipe, check out: Organic Tortilla Chips
Quick Summary
- Cameron Sheldrake pitched Off the Cob Tortilla Chips, seeking $100,000 for 15% equity. The pitch highlighted the use of sweet corn to create a unique and flavorful chip.
- Despite the Sharks appreciating the taste and packaging, concerns about scalability and costs led to no deal being secured.
- The business eventually closed, and Cameron returned to his family farm after the company ceased operations.
Readers can also check out other Shark Tank Season 6 Episodes.
Those curious about the other businesses featured in Shark Tank Season 6 Episode 10 can explore more updates and see which ideas made a splash in the Tank.
Cameron and ‘Off the Cobb’ is perpetrating a fraud through its’ manipulation of online reviews and misrepresentation of the tortilla product the company produces and sells. This is quite unfortunate, but can sometimes happen when a business owner is trying to grow a new business. I am glad the Sharks did not offer Cameron a deal. They may have ‘sensed’ that they should avoid doing business with this company.
Without going into significant detail, the fraud/misrepresentation is are occurring in 2 ways. First, Cameron or Cameron’s associates created fictitious reviews on Amazon (see the Off the Cob Amazon pages at: http://www.amazon.com/Sweet-Corn-Tortilla-Chips-Pack/dp/B00AGNOP16 and http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MV9A40E/ref=pdp_new_dp_review). If you will notice, all the reviews are written within a few days of each other, the reviews are written by Amazon ‘user names/screen names’ that have never written any other reviews, and the reviews all have nearly identical writing form/style (use of ‘extreme’ words like ‘wow’, use of exclamation points, sentence structure, review length, etc). Of course, all such reviews are extremely biased and positive. Second, the company represents that the chips are made from sweet corn. In actuality, the first 2 ingredients (yellow corn and white corn) are not sweet corn ingredients. Instead, these are ‘grain’ corn or ‘field’ corn. Sweet corn is only the 3rd product ingredient, which indicates that it is a small proportion of the product ingredients.
These acts of misrepresentation are of a fraudulent nature and were performed to mislead consumers. I advise everyone to take these facts into consideration before making a tortilla chip buying decision or entering into a business relationship with Off the Cob.
This is just the way big business would try to stamp out little business when there is a brilliant idea in the making. I have eaten all kinds of sweet corn, yellow sweet corn, white sweet corn (white is the best) and the yellow and white mix sweet corn. Who told you (shark tank) the man uses grain corn? the man says he uses sweet corn right? Also, as for the Amazon reviews, big whoop de do, so the family were making their own positive reviews to promote their product, that isn’t fraud that is ingenuity, ask any politician, geez, you people really want to squeeze out the true American dreamer. I will make up my own mind, I am ordering a case of these chips and I am a connoisseur of corn, and I will tell everyone whether they are any good or not.
Off the Cobb is a brilliant product. We need to invest in our healthy future and stop accepting inferior grain corn products for something that will be well received in your body – and it’s good for the Earth. We all need to fully support this entrepreneur and products like this.